h has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side),
white, and green
note: inspired by the French flag brought to Italy by Napoleon in 1797

@Italy:Economy

Economy - overview: Italy has a diversified industrial economy with
approximately the same total and per capita output as France and the
UK. This capitalistic economy remains divided into a developed
industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less developed
agricultural south, with more than 20% unemployment. Most raw
materials needed by industry and more than 75% of energy requirements
are imported. For several years Italy has adopted budgets compliant
with the requirements of the European Monetary Union (EMU);
representatives of government, labor, and employers also agreed to an
update of the 1993 "social pact," which has been widely credited with
having brought Italy's inflation into conformity with EMU
requirements. Italy must work to stimulate employment, promote wage
flexibility, hold down the growth in pensions, and tackle the informal
economy. Growth was 1.3% in 1999 and should edge up to 2.6% in 2000,
led by investment and exports.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.212 trillion (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 1.3% (1999 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $21,400 (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2.6%
industry: 31.6%
services: 65.8% (1998)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.9%
highest 10%: 23.7% (1991)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.7% (1999 est.)

Labor force: 23.193 million

Labor force - by occupation: services 61%, industry 32%, agriculture
7% (1996)

Unemployment rate: 11.5% (1999 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $530 billion
expenditures: $522 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1999 est.)

Industries: tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food
processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics

Industrial production growth rate: 1.9% (1998 est.)

Electricity - production: 243.027 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 80.22%
hydro: 17.3%
nuclear: 0%
other: 2.48% (1998)

Electricity - consumption: 266.705 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports: 900 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports: 41.59 billion kWh (1998)

Agriculture - products: fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar
beets, soybeans, grain, olives; beef, dairy prod